Sebastian is ready to go on an adventure. He packs up all the things he could possibly need, and he sets sail. He meets a few friends on the way who decide to travel with him and help him. This is a cute story of traveling and making new friends who help each other. Yet again, Philip Stead incorporates personified animals in his story such as the bear. ( )

This is a sweet story of adventure, and making unexpected friends along the way, and of being prepared and being helpful. Each good thing that happened came a as result of work and effort, but they worked together so enjoyed it. Sebastian had the foresight so pack "all the things he would ever need" which came in handy in his travels. ( )

REVIEW:
Sebastian, bored out of his mind, decides to set out on an adventure in search of something new in his balloon he made out of his Grandma's quilts. Before he leaves, he packs everything he can think of. Along the way, he first meets a real bear and shares a pickle sandwich with him. Second, he meets a very tall bird who popped the balloon on accident. Third, he meets three sisters who help sew the balloon back up. Together, Sebastian, the real bear, the very tall bird, and the three sisters, set out and come across a dilapidated rollercoaster that the three sister used to ride on. Together, they fix it up and ride the rollercoaster until their next adventure.

This book has a great use of dialogue. It shows conversation between all of the four main characters (Sebastian, the real bear, the very tall bird, and the three sisters). In addition, this book has a continuous pattern repeated throughout the book. Every time Sebastian sets sail in his balloon, the author says something on the lines of "the wind picked up and soon it was time to go". I like this repetition because it creates a sense of familiarity.

MEDIA: pastels, oil paints, pressed charcoal

GENRE: Children's fantasy picture book

USES:
(1) This book could be used as a mentor text for either adding dialogue or details to stories during a writer's workshop mini lesson.
(2) Students could write their own adventure story. ( )

This is my favorite of their books. It gets better with every reading, with new details and connections appearing each time. Sebastian packs ‘everything he will ever need’ into his homemade hot-air balloon and sets off. His balloon quickly pops, and he crash-lands atop the house of three sisters. They help him mend the balloon and set off to repair the rollercoaster of their childhood, with the help of characters picked up along the way. A magical book that recalls Sendak and Silverstein. ( )

This is a fantasy picture book. It is about a boy, Sebastian, who gets bored one day and makes a hot air balloon out of his grandma's afghans. On his journey, he meets many friendly animals and people - a bear, a tall bird, and three older ladies, who join him. This is a really good fantasy book because the feeling of picking up and leaving on a hot air balloon to go on an adventure were translated very well - it made you feel happy and whimsical. The illustrations were created by using pastels, oil paints, and pressed charcoal.